Hello, this is Father Paul and I'm glad we're taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year.
Yesterday we heard about the visit of the Lord to Abraham and the prophecy he gave him regarding
the birth of a son from Sarah.
We also heard about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and how God saved Lot by literally
walking him out of the city.
Today we're going to hear about the birth of Isaac, the son that the Lord had promised
Abraham in his visit, as well as the sacrifice that Abraham was called to do in the sacrifice
of his son and how God saves Isaac in the last moment.
Let's begin.
Today's reading is from Genesis chapters 21 and 22.
Chapter 21.
And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had spoken.
For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God
had spoken to him.
And Abraham called the name of his son, who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded
him.
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
And Sarah said, God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.
She also said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, for I have
borne him a son in his old age.
So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac
was weaned.
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
Therefore she said to Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this
bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.
And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
But God said to Abraham, Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad
or because of your bondwoman.
Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice.
For in Isaac your seed shall be called.
Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.
So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water, and putting it
on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar and sent her away.
Then she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bow-shot.
For she said to herself, Let me not see the death of the boy.
She sat opposite him and lifted her voice and wept.
And God heard the voice of the lad.
Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, What ails you Hagar?
Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.
And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.
So God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.
He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran and his mother took a wife for him from the land of
Egypt.
And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Picol, the commander of his army, spoke
to Abraham saying, God is with you in all that you do.
Now therefore swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring
or with my posterity, but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you
will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants
had seized.
And Abimelech said, I do not know who had done this thing.
You did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.
So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech and the two of them made a covenant.
And Abraham said, seven you lambs of the flock by themselves.
Then Abimelech asked Abraham, what is the meaning of these seven you lambs which you
have said by themselves?
And he said, you will take these seven you lambs from my hand that they may be my witness
that I have dug this well.
Therefore he called that place Beersheba because the two of them swore an oath there.
Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba.
So Abimelech rose with Picol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land
of the Philistines.
Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and there called on the name of the Lord,
the everlasting God.
And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
Chapter 22
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham,
and he said, here I am.
Then he said, take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land
of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell
you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with
him and Isaac his son.
And he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God
had told him.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
And Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder
and worship and we will come back to you.
So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took the
fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together.
But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, my father, and he said, here I am my
son.
Then he said, look the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, my son, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.
So the two of them went together.
Then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there
and placed the wood in order.
And he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham.
So he said, here I am.
And he said, do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son,
from me.
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket
by its horns.
So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his
son.
And Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide.
As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said, by myself
I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your
son, your only son.
Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars
over the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore.
And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed
my voice.
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba,
and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, Indeed, Milka
also has borne children to your brother Nahor, Ose his firstborn, Boz his brother, Kimwel
the father of Aram, Fesid, Hazo, Pil dash, Yidlaf, and Bethuel.
And Bethuel begot Rebekah.
These eight, Milka bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother, his concubine whose name was Ryuma,
also bore Teba, Gaham, Tahash, and Magah.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.